Cheese-knife



(MOdGL G. T. MORAN.

CHEESE KNIFE.

No. 307,568. Patented Nov. 4, 1884.

WTLZYwS 5&9

UNITE STATES PATENT EicE.

GEORGE T. MORAN, OF BURLINGTON, IOW'A.

. CHEESE KNIFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 307,568, dated November 4, 1884.

Application filed December 24, 1883. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE THOMAS Mo- RAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Des Moines and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cheese Knives, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in cheese-knives in which a cutting-knife operatcs in conjunction with a rotating block or plate in cheese-safe and a graduated scale; and the object of my improvement is to provide a cutting device by means of which any given amount in weight can be cut otfofa cheese Without having to weigh the same. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which the figure is a perspective view.

Similar letters refer to similar parts.

X is a beam, preferably three-cornered, fastened in any suitable manner to one of the corners of an ordinary cheese-safe, A, having a rotary bottom plate, B, which rotates by means of any suitable device upon bottomm of cheese-safe A. BeamX has the two guideboxes a and a securely fastened to it upon face side .9, which side lies in the same plane with a line drawn diagonally across the bot iom ot'cheese-safe A from corner to corner. Through guide-boxes a and a passes bar G.to which is attached at d, by bolts or otherwise, one end of knife D in such a manner that the other end of knife D will point to and about reach the center of the rotating plate B. To knife D at c is attached in any suitable manner one end of the spiral spring E. The other end of spring E is at g fastened to safe A. At h there is fastened to bar (J, by means of a chain or otherwise, the stirrup H.

M is a spring of the shape shown, one end, a, being secured to the guide-box a by screw or otherwise. The other end of such spring is fastened to a graduated scale, b,which is preferabl y divided into eighths. One end of said scale is held in a slot, d, of knife D, and is free to move in such slot.

The mode of operation of my invention is as follows: I first obtain the weight of the cheese by any ordinary means. N ext I measure the circumference of the cheese, and the number of inches thus obtained I multiply by eight, so as to have the unit of the movement correspond with the one-eighth inch distances on the graduated scale. Then I calculate how large the arc of a sector ofapiece of that cheese must be in order to weigh one pound. After this is determined, I place the cheese in the middle of the rotating plate B, so as to bring the center of it directly under the inner end of .knife D. By putting my foot in stirrup H, I press the knife down, thus cutting through the cheese. Then the pressure of the foot is withdrawmthe knife is raised above the cheese by means of spring E. This being accomplished, my machine is ready to cut any desired quantity from the cheese. If a pound is to becut, I rotate the plate B by means of my hand a snflicient space along the side ofthe graduating scale I, which distance is determined in the manner heretofore set forth, whereupon by means of pressure from my foot in the stirrup the amount indicated is cut off.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a cheese-cutter, the combination of bar 0, knife D, spring M, and scale 5, said spring and scale being carried by the knife, as set forth.

2. In a cheesecuttcr, the combination of bar 0, knife D, spring M, scale Z), spring E, and suitable means for depressing the knife, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the bar I, knife I), spring M, scale I), baseboard m, and pivoted plate 13, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

4. The combination of the bar G, knife D, spring M, scale 1), spring E, and stirrup H, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

G. T. MORAN.

IVitnesses:

O. L. HAsKELL,

T. W. HAsKELL. 

